Oscar Pistorius distances himself from father's comments on the ANC and guns

The family of Oscar Pistorius, the Paralympian accused of shooting his
girlfriend dead on St Valentine's Day, have distanced themselves from
comments by his father Henke that the family had to arm themselves because
South Africa's ANC government had failed to tackle rampant crime.

Henke Pistorius reaches out to touch his son Oscar at the Pretoria magistrates court during his trialPhoto: EPA

Henke Pistorius told The Telegraph on Sundaythat he and other members of his family owned a total of 55 guns because they could not rely on the police to protect them against criminals. He laid the blame for South Africa's violent crime rates, which are among the highest in the world with 15,000 people murdered last year, on the ANC-led state.

"It speaks to the ANC government, look at white crime levels, why protection is so poor in this country, it's an aspect of our society," he said. "You can't rely on the police, not because they are inefficient always but because crime is so rife."

But Arnold Pistorius, Henke's brother and Oscar's uncle, said the family as a whole was "deeply concerned" by the remarks, and strongly refuted the suggestion they blamed the ANC government for crime against white South Africans in particular.

He said that contrary to Mr Pistorius' claim, the family owned firearms "purely for sport and hunting purposes".

"Oscar Pistorius' family is deepy concerned about the comments made by Oscar's father, Henke Pistorius, to the Telegraph about the family using its weapons to defend themselves against crime in South Africa, and especially about his comments that the ANC government is not willing to protect white South Africans," he said in a statement released through the family's official PR machine, run by former Sun editor Stuart Higgins.

"Oscar and the rest of the Pistorius family distances itself from the comments. Henke's interview with the newspaper was unapproved by our media liaison team. The comments don't represent the views of Oscar or the rest of the Pistorius family."

Following the statement by the Pistorius family, the ANC's national spokesman Jackson Mthembu issued one of their own, labelling Henke Pistorius as "racist" and accusing him of seeking to "politicise" a "tragic incident".

"The African National Congress rejects with contempt the accusation made by Henke Pistorius (the father to Oscar Pistorius) to a UK newspaper that 'the ANC government is not willing to protect white South Africans'," Mr Mthembu said.

"Not only is this statement devoid of truth, it is also racist. It is sad that he has chosen to politicise a tragic incident that is still fresh in the minds of those affected and the public. This tragic incident has affected two families that are still trying to come to terms with what happened and this latest racist slur is not assisting these families. We think it is ill-advisable for anyone to start apportioning undue blame."

Mr Mthembu said the entire issue should be left to the courts. Mr Pistorius is next due to appear at Pretoria Magistrates Court in June ahead of an eventual trial expected later this year.

"The ANC believes that the Pistorius and Steenkamp matter is in the capable hands of our competent courts who are expected to handle the matter objectively and in accordance with our laws," he said. "Any speculation can only prejudice the case.

"We welcome the statement of the Pistorius family that distances Oscar and his family from the statement made by Henke Pistorius. The ANC believes that this is a difficult period that both families are going through. We call on South Africans to desist from wild and prejudiced speculation. Let us give our courts a chance to deal with this matter."

Oscar Pistorius, who was once the nation's golden boy, winning two gold medals and a silver at last year's London Paralympic games, has been charged with premeditated murder. He claims he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29, a model, through a locked lavatory door in his Pretoria home, believing her to be a burglar.

The State claims he shot Miss Steenkamp following a row between the couple.

While Henke Pistorius sat behind his son throughout his four-day bail hearing at Pretoria magistrate's court last month, frequently touching him on the shoulder when he broke down in tears, he is understood to have been estranged from the athlete and his siblings at times in their life. He and Mr Pistorius' mother are believed to have separated before she died when Oscar Pistorius was 15.

Mr Pistorius' uncle Arnold has been nominated as the official family spokesman. He said that as a family, they were declining media interviews "out of respect to the Steenkamp family" and because they themselves are in mourning.

"We are acutely aware of the fact that we are only at the beginning of a long road to prove that what happened to Reeva Steenkamp was a terrible accident and that Oscar never intended to harm her, let alone cause her death," he said.

"As a family, and Oscar in particular, we will never be the same after the tragic events on 14 February this year. We are still in deep mourning, trying to come to terms with what happened."